Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Suggestions for Walking Corpse Syndrome

In my last post, I started looking into Walking Corpse Syndrome, an independent gothic metal band from
Missoula, Montana. From a potential customer's viewpoint, I noted
what I liked and didn't like about their sales approach. I also
explained how I would personally use file-sharing in this situation
and how file-sharing could lead someone into becoming a fan and then
a buyer.

Everyone reading this already knows
that I'm going to recommend that they should pirate their music. That
will certainly be on the suggestion list, but it's a little more
complex than that. If the only thing they did was put their music on
the file-sharing sites, they're not going to see any benefits.
Selling music to the file-sharing community is a multi-prong attack.
Before I offer my suggestions, I'd like bring up something that I
feel is a vital component in getting me to buy.

Taking a step back and looking at this
from the consumer side of the transaction, most independent musicians
give me two choices. Some artists want me to buy what they've already
completed. So maybe they'll give me just enough to tickle my balls in
the hopes that it'll be enough to get me to buy that 3 year old CD
that they overvalue. This cycle will repeat itself as they release
new albums. Even if I like their previous releases, I'm constantly
struggling with the gamble of buying their products.

The other artists want me to buy what
they haven't done yet. They shower me with affection, they take me on
a date and pay for dinner, they give me gifts, they never tell me no.
They give me the equivalent of a consumer blowjob. They make me feel
guilty for all the attention because it's so one-sided. Is there any
doubt in your mind who's products I'm going to buy? By this point, I want to buy their next project because of how well I've been treated.

Getting back to Walking Corpse
Syndrome, here are some recommendations that would potentially get a
listener to open their wallet. It will sound like I'm talking
directly to Matthew, but I'm really talking to all the independent
artists who create and sell music:

1. Fix the homepage graphic to reflect
the $5 mp3 album. I still think $5 is too high for your albums. It
has nothing to do with your talents and I'm not trying to diminish
your accomplishments. It has more to do with who you are and where
you are in your career. In my original open letter I noted that
digital albums should always be cheaper than physical CDs. I also
recommended a $3-$5 price point for an mp3 album. You guys are an
independent band still in the process of building a following. If I
was borderline on buying your music, getting albums for $2-$3 each
would push me over the edge and turn me into a customer.

2. Get some new music out there. The
first album came out in 2008 and the second (and most recent) album
came out in 2010. Like it or not, customers always want fresh
content. Especially paying customers. You think World of Warcraft
would be as big as they are if they never expanded their game? Put a
new song as a free mp3 download on the site. Build some buzz. Is your
next album taking too long to finish? Then put yet another free song
on the site. Fans talk to other people and you need to give them a
reason to talk about you.

3. Coordinate your social media.
Although I gave you props last post for dipping your finger
everywhere, I did notice the lack of consistency. While your Facebook
profile looks healthy and active, you only have 8 tweets in 2012. At
a bare minimum everything you do on Facebook should get a tweet.
There also appears to be inconsistencies on the sites where I can
hear your music. Pure Volume has only 2 of your songs. Reverb Nation
has 8 songs. Last.fm has one album, Amazon has two albums. Rhapsody
has 8 songs, Jango has 5 songs. Don't half-ass it. You have no idea
where a potential customer might find your music. What if your album
had 10 songs I loved but none of them were the two on Pure Volume?
Next band please.

4. Give away the first album for free.
If you can't stomach that and your conscious insists on $5 mp3
albums, maybe offer a two album mp3 package deal for like $7. Entice
me. You have a 4 year old album and a 2 year old album. You are not
The Beatles. You do not yet have a valuable back catalog. All this is
doing is putting up a wedge between me and your music. I understand
you have fees and other considerations when using CD Baby, iTunes,
etc. But as an up-and-coming band, you can't let pricing alienate
your potential fan base. Maybe you have to suck it up and sell your
stuff at a break even point for a while. Or maybe what you need to do
is pull the first album from the market and offer it up as a free
download if you buy the second album at $5. I'll buy when the price
is right for me, not when the price is right for you.

5. Put the other album up on your site
as a full stream like you did for your current album. Don't make a
customer leave your site to sample your works. All of those social
music services are designed to get people to sample music that isn't
yours. If you drive me to Reverb Nation, another artist is going to
catch my eye and you could lose my attention.

6. Maybe you're already doing this next
one and I just can't see it on your website, but you should try to
get creative about getting your music in the hands of fans. Here are a
couple of examples: If you're playing a show where the tickets have
unique identifiers (serial numbers, barcodes) then offer your fans
your first album in mp3 format for free if they tweet/email/post a
photo of their ticket. I see that some of your shows have the same
bands playing. Join forces with the other bands. Get 4 bands to each
offer up an mp3 album and sell the package for $10. If you're playing
at a no-charge venue that has distinct sections, offer up the section
nearest the stage for anyone who buys your CD. The possibilities are
endless.

7. Pirate both of your albums. I
understand this one may be the steepest hill to climb. Regardless of
how good your music is, I don't believe a band in your position is
served well by putting a paywall up in front of your customers.
Obscurity is your number one enemy at this point. And just because
you are pirating your album doesn't mean you have to advertise it.
You can continue with your current business model and let those who
engage in file-sharing find you on their own. If they're interested,
they'll find it.

Now of course, none of what I
recommended is going to magically double your sales overnight. This
is more about building your future, a future that includes me, the
guy with the money.